prepaid_data_sim_cardfandomcom-20200216-history
Morocco
'Basics' Morocco has three network operators: * Maroc Telecom (a.k.a. Itissalat Al-Maghrib, IAM), * Orange '''(rebranded from '''Méditel in December 2016) * Inwi 2G is on 900 MHz only, 3G on 2100 MHz in plain UMTS standard (up to 14.4 Mbps). 4G/LTE has started in 2015 on all providers in the cities. Licenses on 800, 1800 and 2600 MHz were given out. 4G is open to prepaid, where available. Maroc Telecom is market leader with the best coverage in the country, followed by Orange and Inwi, which is still sufficient when you stick to towns. SIM cards can be purchased in the branches of the network operators and their sales outlets. Be prepared to show your passport. VoIP situation At the beginning of 2016 all mobile providers started to block VoIP calls by OTT software/apps like Skype, Whatsapp, Viber by a coordinated move. Some traced the move back to Etisalat, which owns a majority stake in Maroc Telecom as VoIP services are also restricted in two of Etisalat’s key markets, Egypt and the UAE. This triggered a public outcry and protest by bloggers and websites. In March 2016 all landline ADSL providers were forced to close their ports to VoIP providers temporarily too. This was made official by a decree published in June 2016 which says VoIP services go against competition. As of March 2016, VoIP calls over WiFi were resumed, though such calling over 3G/4G remained blocked. UPDATE Nov. 2016: '''Telecoms regulator ANRT has ordered the country’s three mobile operators to allow over-the-top (OTT) VoIP services again. The decision comes several months after an unidentified plaintiff logged a legal lawsuit against the regulator’s decision to ban the service in an administrative court in Oujda. As the situation is still volatile, we publish IDD offers of the providers in our survey in case they change their minds again. '''Western Sahara Morocco claims the Western Sahara territory and administers Moroccan law in the estimated 85% of the territory it controls. As Morocco considers this territory to be an integral part of the Kingdom, the same three mobile networks operate with the identical rates and rules. Note that Western Sahara is sparsely populated and the coverage is sparse as well, however in major cities (Dakhla,Laayoun,etc.) and large towns, coverage is highly reliable. The SADR-/Polisario militia members may rarely roam freely in the UN controlled DMZ (demilitarized) zone that lies beyond the wall of separation established by the moroccan autorities. It is a conflict zone under a cease-fire treaty active since 1991, and is generally off-limits to visitors, except those with special permit. The coverage in this zone vary from poor to medium (may be excellent in some spots, while totally unavailable in other locations), the main reason being the many BTS (Base transceiver Station) installed at the wall's edges and some mobile BTS units dispatched beyond the wall. 'Maroc Telecom' (a.k.a. IAM = Itissalat Al-Maghrib) Maroc Telecom, a.k.a. IAM is the biggest mobile provider, mostly owned by UAE-based Etisalat, with the best coverage (map). In 2015 they have started with 4G/LTE with speeds up to 225 Mbps in major towns that is available for prepaid without surcharges. According to users the purchase of o SIM card and the data packs proved to be complicated and often needed special assistance which was then double-charged. So if you choose Maroc Telecom, be sure to have an expert on stand-by who can give you a helping hand with the configurations and don't leave town before data is active. The initial activation usually takes about 30 minutes. Some tourist companies offer a free SIM for their clients doing a tourist program. 'Availability' SIM cards called "Jawal 4G" are available for around 30 DH with a small credit (of 10 DH) in their agencies (store locator) and a lot of other sales outles. Old 3G SIM cards work on 4G/LTE too. You need to activate your data service by calling 888. For data only in tablets and modems, IAM sells pochettes ''for 59 DH with 4 GB for 10 days. Reload codes are available all over the country and come with a bonus. The SIM card will be terminated 12 months after the last top-up. Credit stays valid for much shorter. Data balance check is by sending any text to '''580', however this will cost 1 DH. Alternatively the USSD code #580# is free, but it only tells you the total amount of Dirham credit left. 'Data feature packs' IAM doesn't provide online top-up for data packages and also doesn't allow to convert your general balance into a data pack. That means that their heavily advertised reloads recharge multiple x # don't work for data. Instead, you need to top-up specifically your data balance. This is done by texting your reload code followed by *3 'to 555 or by e-recharge. Their data packs are called "Pass Jawal Internet" and ale valid for 2G/3G and 4G/LTE: To subscribe you have to call 888 and follow the instructions (in French or Arabic). Or enter your recharge code followed by *3 to 555 to activate the pack. It may take up to 24 hours, until your request has been processed. Doing it for the first time, better get some local help with it. The 25 DH reload is available only through e-recharge. For some social media only (Facebook with Messenger, WhatsApp and Twitter) they sell certain low volume passes, that can be topped up like the internet passes, but with '*6 '''to 555 at the end: * 5 DH: 100 MB for 5 days * 10 DH: 300 MB for 15 days * 20 DH: 1 GB for 30 days * 30 DH: 2 GB for 60 days '''IDD call option The cheapest option is to do a special recharge called 'Pass Jawal International" for calls to some European countries, the US and Canada. * 20 DH: 20 IDD mins for 7 days * 50 DH: 50 IDD mins for 14 days * 100 DH: 100 IDD mins for 14 days * 200 DH: 200 IDD mins for 14 days For this special IDD account, type in your corresponding top-up voucher code to 555 to be added by *4 at the end. WIFi passes Maroc Telecom has established a network of WiFi hotspots in cities. They are located in public places like bus terminals, train stations, airports, parks, universities, schools and hotels. To connect you need to pick Wifi Public Maroc Telecom in your WiFi list, then a welcome page opens on your browser. Click nouveau client, give your personal data and a mobile number and you will receive a security code by SMS. Enter this code and click on s'inscrire and you'll get another SMS with your username (nom d'utilisateur) and a password code (mot de passe) to log in. Regular recharge vouchers can be used to buy WiFi hotspot time: * 5 DH: 1 hour for 1 day * 10 DH: 3 hours for 3 days * 20 DH: 5 hours for 7 days * 30 DH: 10 hours for 10 days * 50 DH: 24 hours for 1 month * 100 DH: 48 hours for 1 month * 200 DH: 100 hours for 2 month After your WiFi use, be sure to log off again to keep the rest of your credit. 'More info' * APN: wap.iamgprs.ma''' ' * Website in French: http://www.iam.ma/ '''Orange' ('''rebranded from Méditel)' Orange is the second provider in the country and mostly owned by Orange in France (formerly called France Télécom). That's why it was decided to rebrand it from the original brand of Méditel to Orange starting in December 2016. Coverage is not as good as Maroc Telecom but still reasonable. 3G is available in most towns, 4G/LTE has been started in 2015 in about 8 towns so far: 4G map. 'Availability' Orange offers one prepaid SIM card for 20 DH(As of 2017, 30 Dh). Their SIM cards stays alive for 1 year after the last top-up. For 4G you need to have a new 4G-enabled SIM card. Top-ups can be made at their shop, with vouchers, or e-top-ups in acencies or online by credit card. shop locator (in French). Check balance by entering #554# or 5554. An on-screen menu with 5 options is displayed. Press 1 to check remaining national minutes, 2 for SMS, 4 for internet e.g. MB left, and 5 for international minutes. '''Data feature packages' To activate you must top-up a reload code of the respective amount by typing 555 and the code followed by *3. These packages are on 4G/LTE too, if you have coverage: IDD call option The cheapest option is to do a special recharge called 'Recharge Al Kharij" for calls to most European countries, the US and Saudi Arabia. * 5 DH: 5 IDD mins for 1 day * 25 DH: 30 IDD mins for 1 week * 50 DH: 60 IDD mins for 1 month For this special IDD account, type in your corresponding top-up voucher to be added by *4 at the end. 'More info' *APN: internet1.meditel.ma *Username: MEDINET *Password: MEDINET *Website in French: http://www.orange.ma/ 'inwi' (by Wana Corporate S.A.) Inwi is the smallest provider in Morocco but still reasonable, if you stick to the towns mainly. Make a network scan, if you want to use it at a particular place. 3G coverage map. 4G/LTE has started in 2015 in 26 cities. 'Availability' They sell 3 different voice plans with data in their stores and outlets (locator): Tic Tac, Koulchi and Zen. Koulchi and Zen are combo rates including domestic voice and text. Tic Tac is the name of their base plan and sold for 20 DH with the same credit preloaded. Reload vouchers are available everywhere for 10, 20, 25, 50 and 100 DH. Recharges are valid for 2 days up to 6 months depending on volume. This can be extended by a top-up of 50 DH for another 6 months. To top-up type *120#. and follow the french menue Data feature packages Data by default is 0.2 DH per MB. To activate a package you need to top-up specifically your data account by entering the top-up code in the respective amount followed by *3. These "internet sur mobile" passes for Tic Tac are available: 'Data-only plans' Inwi sells data-only plans with or without modems: They are called Internet 3G+ sans abonnement ''with speeds up to 3G+: *3G+ SIM-only Internet 3G+ with 3 GB of data valid for 14 days: 50 DH *3G+ modem (Alcatel X602D) with 10 GB data for 1 month: 129 DH or ''Internet 4G sans abonnement ''including 4G/LTE: * 4G SIM-only Internet 4G with 3 GB of data valid for 14 days: 50 DH *4G modem (Alcatel L850) with 10 GB of data valid for 1 month: 299 DH *4G MIFI (Alcatel Link 4G+ | Y858) with 10 GB of data valid for 1 month: 599 DH They have in total 8 recharge packs for the data-only plan both in the 3G+ and 4G version: All the packs (initial or recharge) have a daily high speed data allowance of 400 MB. Beyond speed is throttled to 128 kbps. '''IDD call option' The cheapest option is to do a special recharge called Recharge International for calls to most European countries, the US, Canada and some Asian countries. * 20 DH: 20 IDD mins for 1 week * 50 DH: 60 IDD mins for 1 month For this special IDD account, type in your corresponding top-up voucher to be added by *4 at the end. 'More info' *APN: www.wana.ma *Username and Password: WANA *Website in French: https://www.inwi.ma/ Category:Africa Category:Country Category:Orange Category:Maroc Telecom Category:11/17